(1) Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field to the field of hand-towed baggage. More particularly, this invention pertains to the use of towing wheels on a piece of baggage that are movable between stored and towing position in response to retraction and extension of a towing member used to tow the piece of baggage. By moving the towing wheels into the stored position when the towing member is retracted, the wheels are tucked away to prevent the marring of clothing or upholstery that could otherwise used. Additionally, with the towing wheels in the towing position, the aesthetic appearance of the piece of baggage is improved.
(2) Description of the Related Art
The use of towable baggage has become widespread. As a result of the widespread use, baggage manufacturers provide towable versions of virtually all forms of baggage.
A typical piece of towable baggage comprises some type of pack portion, a pair of towing wheels, and a towing member. The pack portion of a towable piece of baggage is configured to store travel, business, or personal items and can take on various forms of baggage such as briefcases, suitcases, computer cases, duffel bags, backpacks, and virtually all other forms of baggage. In general, the pack portion of a towable piece of baggage is similar to the pack portion of the piece of baggage""s non-towable counterpart.
The towing wheels are typically positioned on an edge of the pack portion""s base where they allow the piece of baggage to be towed along a surface by titling the piece of onto the towing wheels from a stationary position. For baggage having a rigid pack portion, the towing wheels are often simply mounted for rotation directly to the pack portion. However, for baggage having a flexible pack portion, some form of rigid base is often utilized to support the towing wheels in their proper alignment relative to each other.
As mentioned above, a towable piece of baggage also commonly includes some form of towing member with a towing handle that is extendable from the piece of baggage. The towing member of a towable piece of baggage allows a handle to be extended from the pack portion of the piece of baggage such that a person does not need to hunch over as he or she tows the piece of baggage. The towing member also allows the piece of baggage to be pulled behind a person without coming into contact with the person""s legs and feet as the piece of baggage is being towed. The retractable nature of most towing members allows the handle to be retracted toward the pack portion of the piece of baggage when the piece of baggage is not being towed.
In many cases, a wheeled piece of baggage has an extendable/retractable towing member comprised of a pair of parallel telescoping poles bridged by the towing handle. The poles slide into separate vertically oriented tubular receptacles rigidly attached to an interior compartment of the piece of the baggage. In such a configuration, the towing member is generally not visible from the exterior of the piece of baggage when stowed or retracted. Other types of baggage utilize single-pole telescoping tow members that extend and retract from a single tubular receptacle that is centrally positioned between the wheels of the piece of baggage. Yet other types of baggage utilize non-telescoping extendable towing members such as bars or poles that are hinged to the piece of baggage.
Despite the advantages associated with a piece of towable baggage, such baggage also have several disadvantages.
A significant disadvantage associated with towable baggage is that the towing wheels often become dirty and grimy from towing the piece of baggage along unclean surfaces. This becomes a problem when persons choose to carry their baggage rather than to tow such baggage. In such situations, the towing wheels often come in contact with the person""s clothing and transfer the dirt and grime on the wheels to the clothing. This is also a problem when a person places his or her piece of towable baggage in the trunk of an automobile or a car seat, or on furniture such a sofa or bed where the dirt and grime can soil or damage upholstery or bed linen.
Another disadvantage associated with towable baggage is that many persons believe that towing wheels diminish the aesthetic appearance of a piece of baggage. The unsightliness of the towing wheels cause some people to forego the advantages of towable baggage in favor of conventional non-towable baggage having a cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing, appearance. This is especially true for people who prefer more expensive luggage designs.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages associated with the use of prior art towable baggage by providing a piece of towable baggage that has towing wheels that move between stored and towing positions in response to movement of the towing member between the retracted and extended positions.
In one aspect of the present invention, a towable piece of baggage comprises a pack portion, a towing member that is movable between retracted and extended positions relative to the pack portion, and two wheel assemblies operatively connected to the pack portion. Each of the two wheel assemblies comprises a wheel operatively connected to a wheel housing in a manner such that the wheel is movable between stored and towing positions relative to the wheel housing in response to the towing member being moved between the retracted and extended positions. When the towing member is moved from the retracted position to the extended position, the wheels move into the towing position where the wheels at least partially protrude from the wheel housings. When the towing member is moved from the extended position to the retracted position, the wheels move into the stored position where they are positioned within the housings.
In another aspect of the present invention, a towable piece of baggage comprises a pack portion, a towing member that is movable between retracted and extended positions relative to the pack portion, two wheels operatively connected to the pack portion, a linkage, and a locking mechanism. Each of the two wheels is operatively connected to the pack portion in a manner such that the wheel is movable between stored and towing positions relative to the pack portion. The linkage operatively connects the towing member to the two wheels in a manner to cause each of the two wheels to move between the towing and stored positions in response to movement of the towing member between the extended and retracted positions. The locking mechanism is operatively connected to the towing member and the wheels and moves between locked and unlocked positions in response to movement of the towing member between the retracted and extended positions. The locking mechanism prevents each of the wheels from moving from the towing position to the stored position when the locking mechanism is in the locked position and allows each of the wheels to move between the stored and towing positions when the locking mechanism is in the unlocked position. As such, the locking mechanism is able to transmit load from each of the wheels to the pack portion when the wheels are in the towing position such that the linkage is relieved of load.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a method of repositioning wheels on a piece of towable baggage comprises providing a piece of baggage having a pack portion, a pair of wheels that are movable between stored and towing positions relative to the pack portion, and a retractable towing member that is movable between extended and retracted positions relative to the pack portion. The method further comprises moving the wheels from the stored position to the towing position by moving the towing member from the retracted position to the extended position, locking the wheels in the towing position by positioning the towing member in the extended position, unlocking the wheels while the wheels are in the towing position by moving the towing member from the extended position, and then moving the wheels from the towing position to the stored position by further moving the towing member from the extended position.
While the principle advantages and features of the invention have been described above, a more complete and thorough understanding of the invention may be attained by referring to the drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which follow.